![Why Human Rights In Iran Are Getting Worse—And What To Do About It
The human rights situation in Iran has worsened since the government’s crackdown on anti-government protests following the disputed June 2009 presidential election. Political activists, lawyers, journalists, students, women’s rights activists, and ethnic and religious minorities have been increasingly targeted. A September 2011 report by a UN Special Rapporteur notes a sharp increase in executions. Prominent opposition political leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi were put under house arrest in February 2011 after calling for protests in solidarity with pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the region. Amid an increasingly repressive regime focused on survival amid internal strife and external pressures, experts say prospects for reform are bleak, and urge the international community to keep the spotlight on Iran’s human rights violations.
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Recent reports from international organizations and Western governments have slammed Iran’s rights record. The 2010 U.S. State Department report notes the role of Iran’s regular and paramilitary security forces in cracking down on protestors and how they have committed serious human rights abuses, including torture and murders, with impunity. Tehran rejects these claims. Rights groups point to some particular issues of concern:
Arbitrary arrest and detention: More than four thousand people were arrested in connection with protests over the disputed 2009 elections. Hundreds more were arrested following anti-government demonstrations in 2011. Rights groups say the government denies due process and fair trials to detainees and uses systematic torture in its prisons and detention facilities.
Capital punishment: Rights groups accuse the Iranian authorities of imposing the death penalty and using execution as a political tool. A 2011 report by the UN Special Rapporteur notes an increase in executions, both official and secret. According to Amnesty International, Iran executed 177 people in 2006, and over three hundred every year since then. In 2010, according to the group, this number rose to 552 if secret executions were included. The UN report also notes more than 100 juveniles on death row in 2010, stressing that enforcement of the death penalty for those under the age of eighteen is incompatible with Iran’s international obligations.
Women’s rights: The Iranian constitution allows equal rights for men and women “in conformity with Islamic criteria.” According to the World Economic Forum’s 2010 Gender Gap report—which compared disparity between men and women on economic participation, access to education, health, and political empowerment—Iran ranked 123 out of 134 countries. This was better than most countries in the region, ahead of Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and even Turkey. However, the UN report notes that the application of certain laws is a barrier to gender equality in Iran. For instance, a woman’s worth and testimony in a court of law is regarded as half that of a man’s. Women do not have equitable inheritance rights, nor can they be granted guardianship rights for their children, even upon the death of their husbands. The report says female activists who try to address gender equality issues are often targeted.
Religious, ethnic, and other minorities: There are widespread abuses against members of recognized and unrecognized religious and ethnic minorities such as Arabs, Azeris, Baloch, Kurds, Namatullahi Sufi Muslims, Sunnis, Baha’is, and Christians. Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, the Baha’i, has historically been discriminated against and continues to be denied jobs and educational opportunities, and face arbitrary detention and unfair trials. Human Rights Watch says Iran also engages in systematic discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. “Iran is one of only seven countries with laws allowing executions for consensual same-sex conduct,” it says.
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Why Human Rights In Iran Are Getting Worse—And What To Do About It
The human rights situation in Iran has worsened since the government’s crackdown on anti-government protests following the disputed June 2009 presidential election. Political activists, lawyers, journalists, students, women’s rights activists, and ethnic and religious minorities have been increasingly targeted. A September 2011 report by a UN Special Rapporteur notes a sharp increase in executions. Prominent opposition political leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi were put under house arrest in February 2011 after calling for protests in solidarity with pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the region. Amid an increasingly repressive regime focused on survival amid internal strife and external pressures, experts say prospects for reform are bleak, and urge the international community to keep the spotlight on Iran’s human rights violations.
[…]
Recent reports from international organizations and Western governments have slammed Iran’s rights record. The 2010 U.S. State Department report notes the role of Iran’s regular and paramilitary security forces in cracking down on protestors and how they have committed serious human rights abuses, including torture and murders, with impunity. Tehran rejects these claims. Rights groups point to some particular issues of concern:
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- Arbitrary arrest and detention: More than four thousand people were arrested in connection with protests over the disputed 2009 elections. Hundreds more were arrested following anti-government demonstrations in 2011. Rights groups say the government denies due process and fair trials to detainees and uses systematic torture in its prisons and detention facilities.
- Capital punishment: Rights groups accuse the Iranian authorities of imposing the death penalty and using execution as a political tool. A 2011 report by the UN Special Rapporteur notes an increase in executions, both official and secret. According to Amnesty International, Iran executed 177 people in 2006, and over three hundred every year since then. In 2010, according to the group, this number rose to 552 if secret executions were included. The UN report also notes more than 100 juveniles on death row in 2010, stressing that enforcement of the death penalty for those under the age of eighteen is incompatible with Iran’s international obligations.
- Women’s rights: The Iranian constitution allows equal rights for men and women “in conformity with Islamic criteria.” According to the World Economic Forum’s 2010 Gender Gap report—which compared disparity between men and women on economic participation, access to education, health, and political empowerment—Iran ranked 123 out of 134 countries. This was better than most countries in the region, ahead of Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and even Turkey. However, the UN report notes that the application of certain laws is a barrier to gender equality in Iran. For instance, a woman’s worth and testimony in a court of law is regarded as half that of a man’s. Women do not have equitable inheritance rights, nor can they be granted guardianship rights for their children, even upon the death of their husbands. The report says female activists who try to address gender equality issues are often targeted.
- Religious, ethnic, and other minorities: There are widespread abuses against members of recognized and unrecognized religious and ethnic minorities such as Arabs, Azeris, Baloch, Kurds, Namatullahi Sufi Muslims, Sunnis, Baha’is, and Christians. Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, the Baha’i, has historically been discriminated against and continues to be denied jobs and educational opportunities, and face arbitrary detention and unfair trials. Human Rights Watch says Iran also engages in systematic discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. “Iran is one of only seven countries with laws allowing executions for consensual same-sex conduct,” it says.
